Frugal Portland Activity: Food Swap!

I know I have mentioned this before, but I went back to the food swap last weekend, and I just LOVE it.

The premise is simple: bring things you know how to make or steal (caramels, and stolen pickles from my mom), label them, and bring them to a space with tables. Label, then peruse other people’s goods (which are SO varied), then offer a jar of my stuff for a jar of your stuff.

I made three batches of caramels, and like I said, I stole a few jars of pickles from my mom.

In return, I went home with:

Jalapeno jelly

Strawberry jalapeno jam

Sparkling cranberry and strawberry jam

Pear butter

Pears and almonds in amaretto

Homemade Triple Sec

Rhubarb ginger jam

Homemade strawberry ice cream!

Homemade Sriracha sauce!

And more, but I just can’t remember it all. It feels like a cross between school lunches (give you my blueberries for your candy bar) and stealing from a grocery store. It feels so illicit! Lindsay hosts the one in Portland, and she brings all kinds of fun things (garlic scape vinegar, anyone?).

So, urban preservers, bring your jam. Or make spice mixes! Here’s a website for more information (and Portland is featured, what do you know?): Food Swap Network.

I think this would be a great idea for viral marketing if you were a local food producer, like I'm trying to do. I could bring jars of my taco seasoning, which I could trade for some pickled items (I love me some pickled peppers), and expose people to my product that would otherwise have never heard of it.

Sounds like an interesting concept! I've never been involved with something quite like this, but it seems like a good way to try different things. Additionally, by trading homemade goods, it seems like it would be low cost, right?